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Wednesday, 29 May 2013

The Tourist's Matrimonial Guide Through Scotland

Scotland differs from England in many ways from a genealogical research point of view. Nowhere is this perhaps more obvious than with the Scottish laws of marriage, based to some extent on both canon law and the ancient practices of Roman Law.

In 1753, Lord Hardwicke abolished irregular and clandestine marriages in England and Wales, but his remit stopped at the border - we did things a wee bit differently up here, right up to 2006, when marriage by habit and repute was finally abolished as the last form of perfectly valid irregular marriage in Scotland, via the Family Law (Scotland) Act.

So to guide you through the many wonders of Scots Law and marriage, how about a wee song?! Well, dear visitor, here's The Tourist's Matrimonial Guide Through Scotland, a popular 19th century work, to explain it all to ye!

For more about regular and irregular marriage pre-1855, consult my book Discover Scottish Church Records, now available in a handy ebook format from Unlock the Past via http://www.gen-ebooks.com. (Coming soon also is Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records, with even more to say on the subject post-1855!)

Also currently available is Discover Scottish Land Records on the same platform.

And coming soon - my new guide to Scottish civil registration records. ScotlandsPeople is just the start of the story...!